The Truth About Cats and Dogs
by Elle 02
Summary: I hate my life. My brothers are way to overprotective of me, I'm in love with a guy who's four years older than I am and has no feelings for me whatsoever, and now, my brother is in serious trouble and he's run away. What's a girl to do?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own Penny Curtis and Denise Black, maybe a few others through out the course of this story. That's all!**

**Author's Note: Ahh, well I'm back again! Love me, like me, whatever. Anyway, I know that the Curtis sis fic's are like, supremely hated around here, which is exactly why I decided to write one. I figured it could be fun. I've been reading other sister fic's on this sight and I haven't come across any quite like my little sister, Penny. What's that saying? She's a doozy!**

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* * *

**_Miss independent _

_Miss self sufficient _

_Miss keep your distance _

_Miss unafraid _

_Miss out my way _

_Miss don't let anyone interfere _

_Miss on her own _

_Miss almost grown _

_Miss never let you help her off her throne _

_-Kelly Clarkson _

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I'm the baby of my family and I hate it. It's not like there's even that long of time between me and Ponyboy, barely eleven months. But everyone still acts like I'm such an innocent andI haveto be protected. Well, Dallas doesn't treat me like that, which was precisely why I like him.

Steve doesn't either, but that was only because Steve can't be bothered with me. He hardly ever speaks to me anymore, but that's all right. Steve isn't that interesting anyway. Not like Dally...

I've had never been in love, so I ain't real certain, but I think that I might just be in love with Dallas Winston. I think about him a lot and sometimes (okay, a lot of the time) I wonder what it would be like to kiss him. But I'm only thirteen and Dally would never look my way twice. At least, not like that.

Nope, I'm just trying to be a normal girl, leading a normal life, and having a crush on your big brother's friend is part of that. It's kinda hard, though, being a normal girl with no parents and being raised by your three older brothers. It's really hard, actually.

Like, when Darry took me and Ponyboy shopping for new school clothes, for example. I needed new under things and even though Darry's twenty years old and has seen plenty of women's under things in his time, he was acting all embarrassed while I picked out bras and packages of underwear. It wasn't an experience that me, or Darry, ever wish to repeat.

"Next year," Darry had told me as we left Sears. "Soda can bring you guys."

Sodapop isn't embarrassed by my under things at all. He actually has this really a bad habit of putting them on his head. Well, the bra's anyway. And since, at thirteen, I'm already a 34 C, this isn't hard for him. Embarrassing for me, but not at all hard for him.

Mom told me that I'm was just an early bloomer, that it ran in the family. "The rest of your body will catch up soon enough." She said. Darry never talks about that kinda stuff. He nearly had a fit the other day when I announced to the whole gang that I was gonna shave my legs.

Sodapop is much more open minded about it all. He even brings home sanitary napkins for me, but that was only because he gets them at a discount.

But on the particular day that my story starts, I wasn't thinking about bra's, or my period, or my brother's, or even Dally Winston. Okay, well, maybe Dally a little, but that's only because I was reading _Lady Chatterley's Lover_ and I couldn't help thinking about him during some of the racier scenes. Besides, it's all about a forbidden love affair and my alleged love for Dally was, if anything, forbidden.

I jumped and started to hide the book when I heard footsteps on the porch, but I realized it was only Darry and Soda and their friends. They didn't have the slightest clue what _Lady Chatterley's Lover_ was about. It was Ponyboy I was worried about, because he did know, and he was sure to tell Darry. Then the book would get taken away and I'd never know how it ended.

"Whatcha readin', Penny?" Two Bit Matthews asked, trying to get a look at her book.

That's me, by the way. Penelope Curtis, more commonly known as simply 'Penny'. I've just realized that I haven't introduced myself, but I've already told you that I wear a 34 C in bras. I'm weird, what can I say?

I shrugged, hiding the title, just in case. "Nothin'." I got that funning feeling just then, you know when someone's staring at you, and I looked up into the dark eyes of Steve Randle. He was looking right at me! Then his face reddened and he looked away. _What was _that_ all about?_ I wondered to myself. I'd caught him staring at me more and more over the past few weeks. It was weird._Oh well_. I mentally shrugged it off and went to put my book away before Ponyboy did come home.

As I dumped the book on my bed, I caught sight of myself in my mirror. I'm a short girl, always have been, with long, boring reddish-blonde hair, ugly green eyes and these stupid freckles across my nose and cheeks. People used to tell me that I looked like that little girl who played Buffy on that old show, Family Affair. Thankfully, I've grown out of that.

I walked back out into the living and smiled at the sight of Dally, who'd just gotten out of jail again. I had noticed, with a sense of happiness, that he was wearing his ring. He'd once fought a drunken Soc for it, and he only gave it to his girlfriends, Sylvia O'Ryan being to latest on this list. But if Dally was wearing it again, that must mean him and Sylvia had broken up.

Hope!

"Where's Ponyboy?" Darry asked me as I flopped back down on the couch.

"Ouch!" Soda yelped. "That was my foot Penny!"

"Well, don't be putting your foot in my seat!" I told him, then I looked at Darry. "I don't know. The movies or something; I wasn't listening."

Darry rolled his eyes. "Penelope, you're such a great help to me." He said sarcastically.

"Yeah. I know." I smiled sweetly at him and scratched my black and white cocker spaniel, Scooter, between the ears.

"Did anyone go to the movies with him?"

"I don't know! I'm not his freakin' keeper! Why does it matter?" I shrugged and picked at the blue polish on my toenails.

Once again, Darry rolled his eyes. "I swear, don't either you or Pony use your heads! I don't want him walkin' around alone, Miss. Penelope Louisa, because he might very well get jumped, just like Johnny got jumped."

I immediately felt bad. Darry was right; I hadn't used my head, and me of all people... "Oh." I said lamely. "I didn't think of that."

"Obviously."

"Wait," Dally said. "You middle name's _Louisa_?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "_Yes_. You have a problem with that?"

He shrugged and smiled his hard smile. "No."

"_Ahem_." Darry cleared his throat. "How long has he been gone, Penny?"

I shrugged again. I had been reading the whole time. "A couple hours, maybe?"

"Did he say where he was going, exactly?"

"Just to the movie house." I chewed my lip, one of my worst habits. "I'm real sorry Darry. I shoulda gone with him…"

"Well, I don't think that you can hold off the Soc's any better than he can." Soda told me, rubbing my back.

"Yeah, I'm not mad at ya, Penny." Darry said. "I just wish that you'd use your head once in awhile, you know? God gave it to ya for a reason."

I opened my mouth to apologize again, but Steve cut me off! Jerk.

"Do y'all hear that?" He said, waving his hand at me, when I started to protest his interrupting me. "That yellin'?"

Everyone was silent for a few seconds.

It was faint. "Darry! Sodapop!"

"That's Ponyboy!" Darry jumped up from his chair and was out the door in a flash, the rest of us following close behind.

It wasn't till I was at the end of the block that I realized that I was barefoot and it was the middle of October. I couldn't do anything about it now, but just keep running, trying to keep up with the long strides of older brothers and the rest of the gang.

I, unsurprisingly, was the last one to reach Ponyboy. He was lying on the grass, his auburn hair rumbled and his face cut.

"Stop shaking me, Darry." He was saying. "I'm okay."

"Ponyboy, I'm awful sorry." I said, feeling like I was gonna cry. "I shoulda came with you to the movies."

He looked at me over Darry shoulder. "It's all right, Penny. Don't cry."

"I ain't cryin'!" I protested. "I'm just worried, is all." I lit a cigarette and then handed one to him. I _felt_ like crying.

"We chased 'em out of here." Two-Bit announced, as the others joined back up with us.

"Stupid…" Dally went on to call them every name under the sun. "Kid all right?"

"Yeah." Pony shrugged. "I'm all right."

Dally glanced at me, then took a closer look. "How bout you, Short Cake, you okay?"

A funny feeling settled in my stomach. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just…" I trailed off, not wanting to look weak.

"It's okay." Johnny patted my arm in a brotherly manner. "Don't worry about it."

I smiled at him. "Thanks." I knew that he knew I was about to lose it, and that he was trying to comfort me. That was unusual in our gang and I appreciated it.

I tried to tune the boys out as they spoke. I still felt shaky and I jumped when I felt someone nudge me in the side.

"You even listenin' to me, kid?" Dally was asking.

"What?"

I said, I'm going over to the Nightly Double tomorrow night. You wanna come? Johnnycakes and Pony're comin'."

I shrugged, trying to act nonchalont."Sure, I guess."

"Good deal." Dally paused, he seemed to be mulling over something. "Tell your little curly haired friend she can come too, if she wants. The one with the braces."

"You mean Denise?"

"Yeah."

I shook my head. "Can't. She's gotta baby-sit her sisters tomorrow night." My very best friend in the whole world, Denise Black, hangs out with me all the time, but she has five younger sisters, and she has to watch them when her mom works late.

Dally shook his head. "I like them brats, but there's no way I could deal with all five of 'em at a movie. 'Specially that littlest one. She always wants to sit in my lap."

We had started for home by then and Dally and me were trailing a little behind the others as we walked. "Aw," I told him. "You like it. Rose is a cute little bugger, admit it."

Dally shrugged. He wouldn't admit it. He always claimed that he didn't like kids, but he sure played with Denise's youngest sister. "I guess." He shook his head. "Hey, Steve! Wait up a sec!" He hurried to catch up with Steve and Sodapop.

I shook my own head again. I really liked Dally a lot, but it was true that he only thought of me as the little sister of the gang. It sucked.

"Penelope," Darry asked as soon as I walked into the house. "Where are your shoes?"

"If you'll remember, I didn't have time to put them on." I snapped. I was already in a bad mood over my Dally epiphany. I didn't need this on top of it.

"Well, you're going to catch your death of a cold."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah." I grumbled. He's always on my case!

"I'm goin' to my room." I announced a few minutes later. "If Denise calls, come and get me."

I sighed and flopped back on my bed. I closed my eyes and imagined a place where mom and daddy were still alive, where Darry wasn't yelling at me or Pony all the time, and where fourteen-year-old boys didn't get jumped simply because they wore their hair greased back.

"Hey, Penny" Pony was knocking on my door. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah."

Pony eased the door open. "You okay?"

I felt that urge to cry again, it was stronger this time and I could feel the tears burning behind my eyes. "It's just…I shoulda went with you, Pone."

He smiled, then winced and touched the cut on his face. "Now what good would that have done? I just got cut a little. They could do a lot worse to you, Penny."

I shuddered, thinking of a certain time, a time that neither my brothers or no one else in the gang knew about, except for Steve. It was right after my parents had died and I was spending most of my time walking around in a fog. I was walking home from school; the nurse had sent me home early. I wasn't far from the DX station and a carload of Soc's was trailing me, they had been for three blocks. As I cut across the lot, they jumped me. One had ripped my underwear and was fumbling with his own pants when Steve came along. He fought them off with a broken Pepsi bottle, gave me his jacket to cover myself with, and took me home. I made him swear not to tell anyone, especially not my brothers.

"Why not?" Steve had demanded.

"Darry has enough on him right now, Steve, trying to take care of us. He doesn't need the extra worry on top of it. Just let it go."

"Penelope, they were gonna…_hurt_ you!" He said. He couldn't even bring himself to say what coulda happened if he hadn't come along.

"But they didn't." Was all I would answer. It was right about then that Steve had really stopped talking to me. We'd never been close or anything, but now he mostly ignored me. Except for the staring. What was _up_ with that?

"Penny?" Ponyboy was saying. "You okay?"

"I'm fine…just thinking."

"Stop before you hurt yourself." He kidded. Pony touched her hair when I didn't laugh at the old joke. "Are you sure you're okay?"

I smiled at him lightly. Something bad was about to happen, I could feel it. "I hope so."


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: I justed wanted to say thanks to my favorite reviewer, Beth Smith. You rock, girl! And I'm glad I'm slowly turning you into a Steve** **fan. He's hot. Anyway, this will follow the book and the movie, and I based the way the characters looked on the people from the movie. Like Dally looks like Matt Dillan, for example. Well, I believe that's everything!**

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_The world is full of fools_

_Who never get it right _

_You don't know what to do _

_So you do anything you like _

_You're never gonna be like all those fools _

_You're going out tonight _

_There's nothing to lose _

_You're gonna give it all a try _

_-Baddiel Skinner and the Lightning Seeds

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_

"Now, look Penny, see you take the common denominator and you move it over…" Ponyboy's voice buzzed in and out of my head. He was trying to explain my math homework, which I hadn't done the night before (I hate math! It's evil! EVIL!). "Penny? Are you listening?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah."

Pony smirked. "Then what did I just say?"

"Uh…common denominator moves…uh…somewhere…"

He sighed. "Here, let me show you again. But this is the last time!"

I smiled, because I knew he was only saying that. Pony would show me a million more times if I needed him too. It was strange how protective over me he had become. Used to, when mom and daddy were alive, we fought all the time. We were too close in age, daddy said. We still fought a lot, but not like we used too and we hardly ever fist fought anymore. Darry said we were too old for that junk anyway.

After a few more tries, I finally understood what Pony was showing me and I was able to finish up my homework quickly. "Thanks, Pone." I told him. "It sure is nice to have a genius in the family."

"I ain't no genius." He answered, his face reddening.

"Hey! Anyone home!" I could hear Denise knocking on the front door.

"Back here!" me and Pony both shouted.

I could hear that front door shutting and Denise's footsteps as she walked back to my room. "Guess what!" She said upon entering. "My mom doesn't have to work tonight, so I can go to the movies with you!"

"Hoo-hah!" I thrust my fist in the air. "All right!"

"Are you done with your homework?" She asked me. Denise was a smart girl, probably as smart as Ponyboy. She had dark blonde, curly, waist length hair and big blue eyes. She was a little on the chubby side, and combine that with the fact that she wore glasses and braces and it meant that she got teased a lot. I tried to protect her as much as I could, and so did Pony.

"Yep, I just got finished."

"You guys wanna walked over to the DX, get a Pepsi or somethin' before we meet up with Dally?"

"Okay. But let's stop and get Johnny first, huh?" Ponyboy said, retying his white sneakers. "And you need to change out of your pajamas, Penny. You know Darry don't like you wearin' them around all day long."

"Yeah, but Darry ain't here, is he?" I retorted. "And I can't change with you in here anyway."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm goin'." He grumbled, throwing a pillow at me on his way out.

I searched through my dresser, finally coming up with a pair of clean, blue jeans and pale pink button down shirt. The ends of the shirt were a little long, so I tied them in a bow and pulled on my sneakers.

"Let me do your hair." Denise said, grabbing my black handled brush. She pulled it all back in a ponytail, and tied a ribbon in it. "Your hair looks so cute like this." She told me. "I'd give anything for straight hair, or at least hair like Leanne and Deanne's." She was referring to her younger sisters, who were identical twins. "Their hair only curls at the ends."

"I know." I shrugged. "But I'd love to have curly hair."

"Great, that's wonderful." Pony was standing in the doorway. "Can we go now?"

"You're so _impatient_." I told him. "We have half a mind just to go without you, Ponyboy Curtis."

"Yeah right. Let's go."

The three of us walked down the sidewalk. It was warm for October, even in Oklahoma. Denise, whose mother made her carry a sweater from September till June, had tied it around her waist and me and Pony hadn't even thought to grab jackets. Big surprise there, huh?

It doesn't take long to get to the DX from our house. Only about five minutes, but we stopped and got Johnny on the way.

"Get out!" His mother was yelling at him as he hurried out the door. Something unidentifiable came sailing out after him. We didn't stick around to find out what it was either. The four of us high-tailed it out of there fast.

"Hey Johnny." Denise said. "You all right?"

"Yeah, I'm okay." He answered. "What're you doin' here, Denise? I thought your mom had to work tonight."

"Nah, change in schedule." Denise's mom worked out at the paper plant at the end of town. Her husband had run off with some broad right after Denise's youngest sister, Rose, was born. I felt for the Black family, six kids and only one paycheck. And I thought we had it rough.

"Hey guys." Sodapop said as we walked up to the station. "How it goes?"

"Fine." Pony, Johnny, and I answered. Denise didn't say anything. She has an enormous crush on Soda and she gets unusually quiet when he was around.

"Hi Denise." He said directly to her. He enjoyed flirting with her because he thought her crush was cute.

She blushed bright red. "Hi." She whispered. Steve elbowed Soda in the side.

"Don't tease her." I hissed at him.

"I'm not teasing her." He told me. "She's a cute kid. If she was three years older and I didn't have Sandy…"

"Yeah, I don't want to hear you perverted fantasies about my best friend, thank you very much."

Soda shrugged and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry."

"You wanna a Pepsi, Penny?" Steve asked. I was surprised. Why was he speaking to me?

"Sure, Steve." I answered, accepting the cold glass bottle he was holding out. "Thanks."

"No sweat." He smiled a little and I noticed that front molar was slightly crooked. I realized then, for the very first time I swear, that Steve Randle was cute. Extremely cute. How could it be that I'd never seen that before? _Weird._

"You guys haven't seen Dally, have you?" Johnny asked.

"Nope." Sodapop shrugged. "Where were you supposed to meet him?"

"At the corner of High Street." Ponyboy answered. "In about an hour."

"Y'all plannin' on hangin' round here for an hour?" Steve asked. I glanced at him and just like the day before, he was staring directly at me.

Okay, this was starting to get a little creepy. A month ago, this guy wouldn't even acknowledge my existence and now he was staring at me like I was meat on a platter? I'd had a few guys, greaser's mostly, look at me that way since I'd lost my baby fat, but most of 'em didn't lose their nut when I was in faded jeans and an old pink top.

"Maybe we are." I found myself saying to Steve in that tone of voice I reserved mainly for some of the younger greaser's in our neighborhood and the cute paperboy. I knew that Denise would recognize this voice, she'd heard it many times, and sure enough, she was giving me a funny look. But I couldn't help it. I kinda liked flirting with Steve. Almost as much as I liked flirting with Dallas.

"We're not gonna hang around here for a whole hour." Ponyboy said, throwing a little glare Steve's way. I knew that he and Steve didn't really care for one another. They were barely civil to each other and that was only for Sodapop's sake. He just wanted them to get along. "In fact, we're gonna go find Dally right now."

He walked off and Denise, Johnny, and I had no choice but to follow him.

"What was that all about?" Denise asked as we walked from the DX. "And why is Steve Randle still staring at you?" I started too glanced over my shoulder to see if he really was, but Denise stopped me. "Don't look!"

"Okay, okay. Sheesh, keep your shirt on."

"Why were you flirting with him, Penny? I thought you were in love with Dally."

"I don't know. Steve's cute, don't you think?"

Denise shrugged. She only had eyes for Soda. "He's okay, I guess."

"Did you ever notice his teeth?"

"Huh?"

"He has cute teeth." I said.

"Cute _teeth_? I don't think I've ever heard you mention Dally's teeth or their cuteness." Denise paused. "Could it be that you're not in love with him?"

"Don't be stupid. Of course I am! I think." I was too sure anymore. Dally didn't smile at me like Steve had started smiling at me.

"I think you have a crush on Steve." Denise said. "That's adorable!"

I flipped her the finger. "Shut up."

She giggled and shook her head. "Whatever you say, Mrs. Randle."

"Don't call me that!"

"Sorry…Mrs. Randle."

"_Auughhh! Stop_!"

"Hey!" Ponyboy and Johnny were practically a half a block ahead of us. "Will you two slowpokes hurry up? Dally'll die of old age before we get there!"

* * *

"Hey, Dal." I said when we met up with him at the corner of High Street forty-five minutes later.

"Hey." He flipped his cigarette out into the street. "You guys are early." He glanced at Denise. "Thought you had to baby-sit, kid."

"My mom has the night off." Denise shrugged.

"Tuff enough."

"What're we gonna do, Dal?" Johnny asked.

"Nothin' legal, man." Dallas grinned that little grin that I loved so much and I practically melted into a puddle right then.

We headed over to The Dingo first, where Denise and I spotted some of our school friends.

"There's Andrea and Adrianne." Denise said, pointing out two of our friends. "Hey guys!"

"Hey!" Adrianne waved and went backing talking to her boyfriend, Matt.

In the line at the food counter, we came across three boys from our grade, Joey, John, and David.

"Hi guys." I said. Dally was standing right behind me and I could feel his breath on my neck. It made the hair on my arms stand up.

"Hey Penny." Joey said, throwing his arm over my shoulder. He's the biggest flirt I've ever met and he considers everyone a friend. "Fancy meetin' you here tonight."

"Yeah, fancy that." I said, grinning at him. "Hey, do you guys know Dally?" it was a stupid question, because everyone in the East side knows Dally.

Dally kind of smiled and said a quick "Hi." He looked at me, then at Denise. "We're gonna be over there with Bill for a few. You two comin'?"

"Yeah, I guess." I said. I grinned at Joey, with his red-brown hair, bright blue eyes, and freckles, he was adorable. "See y'all around." I started to walk away with Dally.

"Wait a second, Penny." Joey said. I stopped and so did Dally.

"Yeah?" I asked.

Joey looked at me and then at Dally, who looks pretty menacing when he's just standing around. "Er…well…I was just wonderin' if you wanted to hang out sometime."

I shrugged, then smiled. Joey was cute. "Sure. Why not?"

"Okay. I'll call you, all right?"

"All right." I smiled. "See you in school Monday."

"See ya."

"Did that punk just ask you out?" Dally asked incredibly.

"You know, I think he did."

We hung around The Dingo for awhile, but we high-tailed it out when some big greaser and this skinny little Mexican brought their blades out. We didn't want to stick around in case the fuzz decided to show.

It still wasn't time for the movie to start, so Denise and I watched as Johnny, Pony, and Dally entertained themselves by chasing some grammar school kids across an abandon parking lot.

"Bout time for the movie to start." Dally said, panting slightly. His dark hair stuck to his forehead. "Y'all ready to head over there?"

"Yeah."

We walked to the Nightly Double and the five of us slid in under the fence, even though we had enough money to get in with. It's only a quarter when you're not in a car. Denise and I led the way to the hard plastic seats. There was only two other people there, two Socy lookin' chicks, one with long red hair and the other with short dark hair. I wasn't surprised when Dally plopped down in the seats directly behind them. I was even less surprised when he started talking dirty. The two girls ignored him, but the red head was getting mad, I could tell. She was sitting ramrod straight and chewing her gum hard.

I could feel my face turning red at the things Dally was saying. Denise was sitting beside me; her face was glowing as well. Dally started to prop his feet up on the red heads seat and toppled out of his chair. Okay, that was pretty funny.

"I'm gonna go get a Coke." Johnny said. "You two wanna come?" He asked me and Denise.

"Yes!" We both said gratefully. We followed him to the concession stand. "Thanks Johnny." I said.

Johnny shook his head. "I don't know why Dal insist on doin' that, talking to them sharp girls like that."

"It was pretty funny when he fell out of his chair, though." Denise said.

Johnny chuckled as we got in line. "Yeah, that was pretty funny."

The line moved slowly, but we finally made it to the front. "Uh, three Coke's." Johnny told the girl behind the counter. "And a package of root beer barrels."

"Johnny, we just ate at The Dingo." I said. "How can you be hungry?"

"I don't know, I just am." He shrugged and handed us our sodas. The three of us walked back to our seats just in time top hear the read head scream.

"GET LOST, HOOD!"

"Okay." Dally was saying. His voice was calm, but deadly. "I didn't know you had this problem with _yelling in my face_." He stood, then stalked off. Denise and Johnny hung back a little bit, but I flopped down in the seat next to Ponyboy.

"You gonna start in on us, too?" The red head demanded of us.

"No." Pony told her.

"Well, you don't look the type anyway. What's your name?"

"Ponyboy Curtis."

She smiled. "That's a lovely and original name." She told him.

He gestured to me. "Well, our dad, he was an original person. We got a brother name Sodapop. Even says so on his birth certificate."

The girl grinned at me. "Are you his sister?" I nodded. "Well, what's your name?"

"Penelope, but everyone calls me Penny."

"Penny. That's a cute name. My name's Sherry, but everyone calls me Cherry cause of my hair."

"Yeah, I know." Ponyboy told her. "We go to the same school; you're a cheerleader."

Cherry looked surprised. "That's right."

"You don't look old enough to go to high school." Cherry's dark haired friend said.

Ponyboy shrugged.

"He isn't." I said. "He skipped the first grade; otherwise we'd both be in the eighth."

"Are you twins?" The dark haired girl, whose name turned out to be Marcia, asked.

"Nope." Pony told them. But there's only eleven months between us. See, after I was born, our mom went back for her two month check-up and came home announcing she was expecting again."

"Wow." Cherry said. "Bet that doesn't happen very often. Say, your brother Sodapop, does he work at a gas station? A DX?"

"Yeah." Pony answered.

"Oh, Soda's the cute one." Marcia said.

"Wow, your brother is one doll." Cherry told us. She smiled at Pony. "I shoulda known you two were brothers. You look alike."

Pony shrugged. He refused to believe how much he looks like Soda. I look like him, too, a little, but not like Ponyboy.

"How come we don't see your brother around school anymore?" Marcia asked and inwardly, I winced. Soda was a dropout and it was still a bit of a sore spot with Pony.

"He dropped out." He answered roughly.

"Oh, that's too bad."

"Here we go." Dally surprised me, by actually coming back. I guess he missed the memo. I felt like screaming '_Dally! This girl wants nothing to do with you! Give it up, man!_' He wouldn't have listened anyway.

Dally started handing out sodas. Cherry took here's but looked him incredibly as he took the seat next to her. "Thought this might cool you off." He said.

I gave her five seconds. She only took three. She tossed the soda in his face. "Maybe this'll cool you off, greaser, and when you learn to talk and act decent, I might cool off too!"

We all fell silent. Nobody but nobody talked to Dally that way and got away with it. It was unheard of. Dally wiped the soda off his face and smiled at Cherry. If it had been Dally was smiling at like that, I would've been running as fast as I could in the other direction.

"Feisty, huh? That's how I like 'em."

"Leave her alone, Dal." Johnny said, surprising us even more. Johnny never stood up to anyone in his life.

"What'd you say?" Dallas looked up at him. "What'd you say to me?"

"I said, leave her alone."

Dally shook his head and cursed under his breath before walking off.

"Thank you." Cherry said to Johnny. "He had me scared to death."

"You sure didn't show it." Johnny answered. "Ain't no one talks to Dal like that."

"From what I see, you do."

Johnny blushed and shrugged.

"You all better sit down here with us." Marcia said. "So you can protect us."

Pony and Johnny were down there so fast; I thought maybe they vaporized there.

"You girls, too." Cherry said. She smiled at me and Denise.

Denise and moved down next to them too, but we mostly talked to one another. We didn't know what to say to these Socy girls. Sure they seemed nice enough, but still…I'll never forget those guys who jumped me and how Steve saved me…my own personal hero. Dally had never saved me…but Steve….Steve…

"Don't move a muscle, greasers!" A voice said from behind us and we all jumped, but it only turned out to be Two Bit.

"Give us a heart attack!" Denise scolded him. He pulled one of her curls.

"Sorry, sweet." He looked over at Cherry and Marcia. "Well now, who's this? Your great-grandmothers?"

"Great-aunts twice removed." Cherry said lightly.

"Shoot, you two are ninety if you're a day." Two Bit kidded.

"I'm a night." Marcia said brightly.

"You dig okay, baby." Two Bit hopped over the seat and sat down beside her.

They talked for awhile, about what I really don't know. Denise and I were discussing Joey and how he'd asked me out in a round about way.

"You all want some popcorn?" Ponyboy asked me and Denise.

"I do." Two Bit said. "Grab some for Johnny and the girls too. I'm buyin'." He added hastily as Johnny, Denise, and I reached for money.

"Thanks Two Bit." Denise said.

"Don't sweat it, honey." Two Bit winked at her and she blushed.

We actually sat through the movie twice. It was fun, but everything's fun when Two Bit's around. When the movie ended the second time, we walked out, and Cherry and Marcia realized that they didn't have a way home. Two Bit offered to walk them, the West side is only about fifteen miles away, but they said no, they'd call their parents to come pick them up. Two Bit finally convinced them to let him give 'em a ride and we were walking to his house to pick up his car.

We were almost there when we saw the blue Mustang the first time. Johnny froze and I remembered him saying that those Soc's that jumped him were in a blue Mustang. Hmm…

"Oh no, Marcia, look." Cherry whispered frightfully as the Mustang circled a second time and stopped. Two Soc's got out. I could tell by the way they were walking that they were smashed.

"What do we do?" Marcia asked. She had wrapped Two Bit's leather jacket around her shoulders.

"Act natural." Cherry muttered.

"Who's acting?" Two Bit said. "I'm a normal natural."

"Too bad it's not the other way around." Pony said, trying to lighten the tension.

I giggled in spite of the situation.

"Cherry! Marcia! What're you doing?" One of the Soc's shouted. He was a good looking guy, but his voice was slurred badly.

He and Cherry argued back and forth for a few minutes, till the other Soc cut in.

"You don't have to run around with these bums!" He said. I felt my spine stiffen. My brother juggled two jobs and trying to raise a family, and this jerk, who had never worked a day in his life, was calling us bums?

Apparently, Two Bit felt the same way. "Who you callin' bums, pal?" He shouted.

"You better watch it, wise guy!" The Soc said. "We got for more in the backseat."

Two Bit busted his soda bottle, tossed it to Pony, and flipped out his blade. "Pity the backseat."

"Stop!" Cherry shouted. She turned to her boyfriend. "All right, we'll go with you."

"Why?" Two Bit demanded. "We ain't afraid of these clowns!"

"I hate fights; I just hate 'em!" Cherry said. "Just give me a minute, Bob." She said to her boyfriend. She spoke quickly and quietly to Ponyboy, and then climbed In the back of the Mustang.

"Well," Two Bit said as they drove away. "Those were about the best looking girls I ever seen." He put something in his mouth, chewed it, and spit it out.

"What was that?" Pony asked.

"Marcia's number. I must've been crazy to ask for it." He shook his head and a black hat skittered past. "Whoo-wee! Got me a new hat!" He plunked it down on his head and IO yawned. "Getting' tired, Short Cake?" He asked. I nodded.

"Me too." Denise said.

"I can walk you two home." Two Bit shrugged. "If Ponyboy ain't headed in that direction."

"I'm gonna stay out a while longer." Pony told me. "Tell Darry I'll be home before curfew."

"Will do." I said, around another yawn.

Two Bit walked us to the front porch of my house. Denise and I were so tired all of a sudden that we were both leaning on him. "Here we are." He said, helping us up the steps. "I'm off to get rip roarin' drunk. See you beauties tomorrow."

"Bye." Denise and I walked inside. Darry was reading the paper. Soda wasn't home yet.

"Where's Pony?" He asked.

"He's staying out with Johnny for awhile. He said to tell you that he'd be in before curfew." I said. "Me and Denise're goin' to bed."

"All right." He kissed my forehead. "See you two in the mornin'."

"Night."

Denise and I changed into our night clothes. We started to talk, I think, but it wasn't long before we were out like lights.

It was several hours later when I was awakened by shouts.

"-have you been!" Darry was yelling.

"I fell asleep in the lot!" Pony's voice answered.

"What's going on?" Denise asked sleepily from beside me.

"I have no idea." I put my finger to my lips and motioned for her to follow me down the hall.

"I didn't think. I forgot." Darry was saying. "That's all I ever hear from you and I'm sick of it!"

"Come on, Darry, leave him alone!" Sodapop tried to defend him. I wondered briefly when he had come in and it was then that I noticed Steve standing quietly in the doorway of Soda's room in his boxers.

"You stay out of this!" Darry shouted at Sodapop. "I'm tired of you stickin' up for his sorry butt!"

"Don't you yell at him!" Ponyboy shouted.

That was when something happened that I've never seen in my house and I hope I never see again. Darry hit Ponyboy. I stifled a small scream. The impact of the hit sent Pony sprawling on the floor. Without a second thought, Ponyboy jumped up and ran out the door.

"Ponyboy, wait!" Darry said, his voice shaky. "I didn't mean it! Pony!"

"Well, that was smart!" I marched into the living room. "I reckon Pony's right about you, Darrell! You don't want us, do you? You just keep us around 'cause you know that Soda won't let us go! I hate you!" I had started to shake from my outburst and I glared at my oldest brother.

He shook his head. "No…no, Penny, baby…it ain't like that…"

"Then what's it like, huh? You're always on our case, 'specially Pony's! You act like you can't stand a one of us, save Sodapop! Why do you hate us? I know you didn't get to go to college and I know that you had to grow up before your time, but that ain't out fault!" I was crying by now. I was letting out feelings I had been storing for a long time and it felt good. It felt real good.

"I know it isn't your fault." Darry said rather lamely.

"Then why do you take it out in us?"

"I don't."

"Yes, you do!"

"I…I, look why don't you two go on back to bed?" He finally suggested. "Me and Soda's gonna go out looking for Pony. Steve, can you stay here with them?"

"Yeah." Steve said, he sat down on the couch. "You two go on. He can't be too far away."

Darry slipped on his shoes and jacket and Soda did the same. "We'll be back soon."

I sat down beside Steve, still crying.

"Hey, hey." He said, trying to clam me down. On my other side, Denise was trying to do the same. "What's all this? Don't cry, kid."

He put his arm over my shoulder.

"They'll find him in an hour or two. You'll see."

I don't think I believed him, even then.


End file.
